01-16-2022, 07:44 PM
The 2017 models address some of your issues, I find the suspension pretty good and the seat acceptable. Seat height is low to me, I wouldn't like it any less, this bike isn't optimised for long legged riders in terms of seat to peg distance as it is. 18" wheels are not that hard to find decent tyres for. The bike is heavy but I don't find it top heavy particularly. The engine is an experience and most owners seem to get away with valve clearance checks with no adjustment required. There are still a lot of modern bikes around with short valve clearance check intervals. I will agree that they might of chosen a different method for the valve clearance though, even if it was an easier to service "shim over bucket".
The bike is fairly single purpose though, I know some hardy souls do, but I would hate to tour on this bike or haul luggage for any length of time. But I don't believe Honda built it for this purpose, it is ostensibly a leisure bike, a day bike or perhaps a weekend camper. But I think that is fairly obvious, in that regard it is not much different from any other mid/large engine naked bike. There are many more comfortable bikes out there, long travel suspension adventure bikes have a massive comfort advantage over the likes of the CB, something my bones greatly appreciate and the reason I use one of those for longer journeys.
I do think there are many others that do share your observations about this bike, in part or in full and you can see a churn of low milers coming up for sale. But conversely the bike is exactly what many owners were looking for and it suits them down to the ground.
The bike is fairly single purpose though, I know some hardy souls do, but I would hate to tour on this bike or haul luggage for any length of time. But I don't believe Honda built it for this purpose, it is ostensibly a leisure bike, a day bike or perhaps a weekend camper. But I think that is fairly obvious, in that regard it is not much different from any other mid/large engine naked bike. There are many more comfortable bikes out there, long travel suspension adventure bikes have a massive comfort advantage over the likes of the CB, something my bones greatly appreciate and the reason I use one of those for longer journeys.
I do think there are many others that do share your observations about this bike, in part or in full and you can see a churn of low milers coming up for sale. But conversely the bike is exactly what many owners were looking for and it suits them down to the ground.